Habitat characteristics affecting occurrence of a fluvial species in a watershed altered by a large reservoir

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AbstractFlooding river valleys following construction of dams restrict fluvial environments to reaches that were formerly headwaters. Whether remaining habitat is suitable for all life stages of fluvial species is poorly understood. A fluvial species, Arctic grayling Thymallus arcticus, showed a dramatic decline following flooding of the Upper Peace River and the formation of the Williston Reservoir. We related landscape and field site‐specific features with occurrence of juvenile Arctic grayling using an information theoretic approach. For the landscape model, an association was identified between stream order and Arctic grayling occurrence although stream order alone was a poor predictor. A positive association between juvenile Arctic grayling occurrence and distance from the Williston reservoir and stream order, as well as a negative association with water temperature and temperature variance, was deemed important for the field site model. Both modelling approaches indicated size of stream system to be an important influence on occurrence of juvenile grayling in the Williston watershed. River length required for suitable river habitat for salmonids has not previously been identified, but should be factored into future management plans when evaluating the impact of proposed hydroelectric dams and subsequent flooding of river systems.